


Paint Job

by clowchan



Category: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - All Media Types, Trouble in the Heights (2011)
Genre: Forgiveness, M/M, Parenting Fail, Partial fluff, Punishment, Revenge, anguish, kids do the darnedest things - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25791040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clowchan/pseuds/clowchan
Summary: How far are the Potts twins willing to protect their father? Nevada and Caractacus find out
Relationships: Caractacus Potts/Nevada Ramirez
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13
Collections: Nevactacus





	Paint Job

As the Potts twins headed to the store to grab food, they spotted Nevada. At first they were going to greet him, but Jemima proposes the idea to spy and naturally Jeremy agrees. Nevada pulls out his phone and stops on the side of a building.

He answers, _“¿Diga?_ Hey!”

The children hide behind the corner near him and listen in.

“Son of a bitch Potts,” Nevada laughs as he chats on the phone.

Jemima scowls, “Did he call Daddy a bad word?”

“I think so. He said the b-word. That’s not very nice. We should teach him a lesson,” Jeremy looks at her.

She giggles, watching him, “What were you thinking, Jeremy?”

He looks over and spots an arts and crafts store and back to his sister. “What if we splash him with paint?”

She enthusiastically nods with approval.

Nevada continues, “Yeah, I’m heading towards 160th now.”

“We gotta hurry,” Jemima whispers and Jeremy acknowledges.

They sneak past him, enter the store, find a small jar of light blue paint, purchase it, and leaving quickly as possible.

Exiting the shop, they look around. “Shoot, I think we lost track of him,” Jeremy notices.

“Shouldn’t be too far, Rem. We’re only a couple blocks from where he’s headed to anyways. Come on!” Jemima takes his hand and they hurry up the block.

Eventually, they find him in a park, sitting on a bench, talking on his phone. The twins weren’t sure how to execute such a daring plan. They spot a tree that was over where he was. Back at their old home in England they would climb trees all the time and this one was not a problem.

Jemima watched Jeremy nervously fidgeting on the thick branch. She whispers, “Scared?”

“Yeah,” he responds.

“I am too, but we have to. No one calls Daddy names.”

They open the can of paint and position themselves over him. Slowly tipping the jar, they watch the paint spill out.

As soon as the light blue paint hits Nevada, a slew of curses in Spanish leave his mouth and a “ _What the fuck?!_ ” He looks up as the paint drips down his hair and face and the twins scamper out of the tree. “YOU! _¡VEN AQUÍ!_ ”

They run as fast as they could out of there.

“I think Nevada saw us,” Jeremy says, tossing the used paint jar into a bin.

“Maybe but I don’t know,” Jemima shrugs.

“I hope not!”

They reach their apartment building and run up the stairs.

“Daddy shouldn’t be home from the shops yet,” Jemima says, looking at her watch as Jeremy unlocks the door.

Caractacus’ voice echoes in their flat when they enter, “Jeremy and Jemima!”

The twins lower their heads, slowly walking towards their father. “I guess I was wrong,” Jemima whispers to her brother, who in return whispers, “Duh.”

Caractacus crosses his arms and looks down at them, pursing his lips. “What did you two do to Nevada?” His tone sounded more disappointed than angry.

“We’re sorry,” they say, holding each other’s hands.

“Apologies later, I want to hear what you did.”

Jeremy says, “We-we heard him call you a bad word so...”

Jemima adds, “So we dumped a bunch of paint all over him at a park.”

Caractacus taps his left fingers on his arm, shaking his head. A second later he audibly breathes out his nose, glaring at them. “Why would you do that?”

Jemima says defiantly, “To teach him not to hurt you.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose as his voice gets louder, “And that grants you the right to dump paint on Nevada?”

Jemima says under her breath, “Yes.”

“ _Jemima Lilian Potts_ , what was that?”

She answers a little louder, “Yes.”

Jeremy pipes in, “It was my idea! It’s my fault!”

_“Jeremy?”_ Caractacus sounded surprise. “Is this true or are you covering for your sister?”

“I swear, Daddy! My idea!” He said with tears in his eyes. “Nevada said something mean about you so had to do something.”

“And you came up with spilling paint?” Caractacus was completely baffled.

Jeremy nods, who starts to sniffle.

“I wish you had talked to me. Yet you did such an awful thing. Didn’t I teach you not to be a bully?”

“Nevada’s a bigger bully!”

Caractacus clenches his jaw and says sharply, “ _Jeremy Nelson Potts_ , that is no excuse! I don’t care if he’s the king of bullies. You should come to me instead of making really rash and blatantly stupid decisions.” He was now red in the face and points to them, “I should ground the both of you forever for this. No toys, no games, nothing!”

Jemima objects immediately, “That’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair, Jemima,” he retorts. “You’re lucky he doesn’t care for the police or else they-”

Jemima cuts him off, “I don’t care! I hate Nevada. I wish Mummy was here instead!” She stomps her foot, storms off, and slams her bedroom door. Before Jeremy walks off, he looks back, with tears running down his cheeks. Wiping a sleeve across his face, he says, “I’m sorry, Daddy.” He follows his sister into their bedroom.

Caractacus could have stopped Jeremy, but he thought it best not to. How he hated how flustered he became and that his lack of patience got the better of him. And he hated how he made his children so upset. He balls his hands into fists, trembling. He knew he was too harsh on the children, and now he had to deal with the aftermath. Being a single parent to twins wasn’t the easiest. Especially after entering a new relationship. He uncurls his hands, takes a deep breath in, and he sits down to think. Jemima was right, and he wished Mimsie was here with him. To help raise their children, to give her input. She was always the more mature and level-headed of the two. But she was gone and it was solely him. He felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes. In the distance he heard Jemima sobbing and Jeremy comforting her, “It’s ok. Daddy won’t ground us forever... He’s not mean... We made him really mad.” How Jeremy reminded him of Mimsie at that moment. And how he admired that quality in his son.

What didn’t help were the messages he sent to Nevada that remained unread. He texts one more time:

> Nev, truly sorry for what happened. I am mortified that they spilt paint on you. Please know I am not letting them get away with it. Not sure where they learned that from.  
>  -Caractacus

In hindsight, grounding the twins indefinitely was too much. Yet a lesson needed to be learned. It dawned on him what he should do. He wished he thought of it before. The twins’ bedroom was quiet after a few minutes. He peeks at his messages, which were now read but no reply. Shoving the phone back into his pocket, he walks to their bedroom door. He softly knocks, “Dove? Rem?” No one answers. Or maybe they went to sleep. How he wanted to walk in to check but respecting their privacy was important too. He gives another knock. Silence. He sits against the door. Waiting. The next 10 minutes felt like an eternity, but the door does open.

A small voice asks, “Daddy? Why are you on the ground?”

He turns around to see Jemima’s head sticking out. Her eyes were still red from crying, and it pained Caractacus to witness her in such a state. He gets up on one knee and reaches in his vest pocket to hand her a handkerchief. “Here.”

She takes it and wipes her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he looks up at her as she hands the handkerchief back to him and he stuffs it into a vest pocket.

“Why? We were bad,” she sniffed.  
“Because I should have been more approachable,” he discloses, thumbing a small tear off her cheek.

“Are we still in trouble?” Jeremy appears under Jemima.

“Yes,” he says softly.

“Oh,” Jeremy’s shoulders slump.

“But not forever. I shouldn’t have said those things, Remy. Your daddy sometimes doesn’t think.”

The twins open their door more. Jeremy slips past Jemima and hugs Caractacus tight. Jemima follows suit.

She admits, “I really don’t hate Nevada. I’m sorry.”

Caractacus smiles a little and hugs his children, “I know.” He nuzzles them and stands up. “There is one thing you both have to do that will be your punishment.”

“Yes?” they ask timidly.

“I want you to write an apology letter to Nevada. Not only do you have to mean it but deliver it to him too.”

Their eyes go wide, “Daddy! Really?”

“Can we be grounded forever instead?!” Jemima pleads.

“Nope, this is the one thing you must do. And I’ll be reading it prior to us meeting.” He places a hand on his hip. “There’s some paper on the secretary desk over there.”

“This is gonna be hard,” Jemima pouts.

“Doing the right thing sometimes is, Dove.” He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and he thinks _“Nevada?”_ As the children take a few sheets of paper and hurry off to their room, he orders, “Write nice and neat, please!” When they disappear, he checks his phone to see if it was Nevada who responded. His chest felt tight from anxiety when he checks the notifications.

> Nevada: I oughta fucking punish you for what your mocosos did. ¡Mi ropa está arruinada!
> 
> N: having a guy look to see if he can fix the leather jacket. You owe me!
> 
> C: I’ll pay whatever the costs. I am profoundly shocked and embarrassed. Believe me
> 
> Three dots appear for a while and another message
> 
> Nevada: whatever? 👀
> 
> Caractacus: yes. Your choice.
> 
> N: if that’s the case 😏
> 
> C: time and place
> 
> N: mine. now. You better hurry.

Caractacus wondered what Nevada had in mind, but whatever it was, he was willing to do it. He rushes to get his jacket on and knocks on the children’s door, “Running a quick errand. Keep writing those letters. Stay put!”

The children say through the door, “Yes, Daddy!”

* * *

Caractacus arrives at Nevada’s place. He greets the security guard, Horatio, and takes the elevator up. His heart races, reaching closer to Nevada’s flat. He knocks on the door and it opens.

Nevada wore a grey undershirt and black shorts, frowning. There was still a speck of paint in his hairline. Instinctively, Caractacus reaches out to wipe it away. Nevada grabs his hand, “Leave it.”

“Sorry,” he gives a half-smile.

“Hope you don’t find this funny cause it fucking isn’t.”

“Not at all, Nevada. I’m just as angry as you are,” Caractacus asserts. “Still not sure how they got the idea.” He caresses his arm, “If only I had a time machine or something.”

Nevada silently ushers him into his living room. Caractacus unintentionally gazes at his backside. “Quit staring, Potts,” Nevada commands.

He quickly looks away, feeling more embarrassed. “Ehmmm... So the costs? How much is it to mend your clothes?” He takes out his wallet.

Nevada waves an index finger, “You know I never want your money.”

“I always forget,” he blushes.

The edge of Nevada’s mouth twitches. “I never tire watching you squirm.”

“You’ve no idea how embarrassed I am. When I received your texts, I was completely dumbfounded.”

“Your _hijos_ ain’t good at blending in. Purple plaid sticks out around here.”

Caractacus sighs.

“If I was younger, I would have caught them,” he gives an uneasy smile. “I give them points for creativity though. Was it Jemima who thought-”

“Jeremy.”

Nevada raises his eyebrows, _“¿Pecas? ¿De verdad?”_

“Yes, not sure what got into his head.”

“That’s surprising,” he loosens the drawstring from his shorts.

“Extremely. Either way, I am disappointed.” Caractacus gets on his knees and reaches for his shorts.

“What are _you_ doing?”

“Whatever you wanted.”

He smirks, “I didn’t ask.”

“Oh! I thought... Nevermind.” His cheeks become very crimson as he stands back up.

Nevada clicks his tongue, “ _Shit_ , I shouldn’t have stopped you.” He slides Caractacus’ jacket off and unbuttons his vest. “But I have something different in mind.”

Caractacus tilts his head, curious as to what Nevada was up to. Nevada unzips his trousers and slides his hand down his boxers till he grasps his member. He slowly strokes him.

“Oh?” Caractacus coos and braces himself against the other man. It didn’t take long for him to become erect.

Nevada flashes a small grin. Reaching up under his shirt with his other hand, he gently pinches Caractacus’ left nipple.

He gasps, “Oh! Nev!” His hips buck and he sensed himself throb in Nevada’s grip. “I’M!”

Just before he reaches his climax, Nevada stops and steps away.

“ _Nevada?!_ ”

“That’s _your_ punishment for the paint incident,” he sneers.

Caractacus bites his lip, “Ah... _bollocks_.” His erection pressed against his boxers and he ached for Nevada's touch again.

“You said whatever, Crackpott.” He runs a hand through his hair, smiling not-so-innocently.

“I-I know.” Caractacus cursed his own words as he tucks in his shirt, buttons up his vest, and carefully zips up his fly.

Nevada snickers, handing him his jacket. Before Caractacus leaves, he lightly brushes his hand against his bulge, making him flinch. “Have fun walking home.”

* * *

When Caractacus returns home, he calls out for the twins.

They come out from their bedroom. “Daddy, we completed our letters,” Jemima says.

“Great!” He asks, “May I see?”

They concur and hand in their writings.

“Thank you.” He settles into a wooden chair and reads what they wrote. The twins sit cross-legged on the floor, looking up at him intently. When he finishes reading, he rubs his chin.

“Is it ok?” Jemima asks.

Jeremy says, “We wrote as neat as possible.”

“I see that,” Caractacus replies. “The letters are wonderful. Some spelling and grammar mistakes, but I’ll help you with those.” He gets up and motions the children to the secretary desk. He takes out a couple pieces of paper, two pens for them, and helps them correct their mistakes.

After they rewrote their letters, Jemima hugs his side, “Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiles. “Excuse me, need to take care of something.”

“Ok,” she says.

He steps away from the twins and quickly texts:

> Caractacus: Are you home?
> 
> Nevada: Got nowhere else to be. Why?
> 
> C: Need to come over again
> 
> N: Couldn’t finish? 😏
> 
> C: 😳 Not about that! The kids want to apologise to you
> 
> N: And if I say no?
> 
> C: Please????
> 
> N: I fucking hate when you say please but I guess
> 
> C: Thank you!!!

He returns and says, “Put your shoes on. We’ll be heading to Nevada’s in a few.”

“Daddy, I’m nervous,” Jemima confesses while tying her shoelaces.

“Me too,” Jeremy adds.

“I’ll be with you,” he says.

Jemima asks, “Do you think Mr. Nevada will like what we wrote?”

“That... I can’t guarantee. One can only hope he will, Mimi,” he says.

“Ok,” she says as they gather their letters and hold Caractacus’ hands.

When they arrive at Nevada’s place, the children squeeze Caractacus’ hands a little tighter. He whispers, “It’s alright.” He let’s go of Jemima’s hand to knock on his door.

Nevada asks through the door, _“¿Quién está ahí?_ ”

“Caractacus, Dear.”

“Crackpott.” The door opens. Nevada was now wearing black jeans and a loose grey t-shirt. His smile turns to a frown when he sees the twins, “ _Y Los Salvajes._ ” He side eyes them, who cower behind Caractacus.

“Nev, may we come in?” Caractacus asks. “They have something to give you.”

“ _More paint?_ ” he says sarcastically before waving them in.

“No,” Caractacus shakes his head. He tells the twins, “Show him, please.”

They nervously step in front of Caractacus.

Jemima speaks, “We wrote these for you, Mr Nevada.” She and Jeremy hold up their letters to him.

“What’s this? Letters?” Nevada glances at them and to Caractacus, who gives an encouraging nod. He takes the letters and walks away. The Potts family watch Nevada pace back and forth in his kitchen, reading, and talking to himself. Five minutes later he returns, “Don’t know what to think.”

Jeremy says quietly, “We’re really, really sorry, Mr Nevada. We’re really dumb.”

Jemima adds, “Please don’t break up with Daddy cause of what we did!”

This makes Caractacus blush, “Children, _please_.”

Nevada smirks and looks at the kids. “You’re fortunate your dad is nice. _Mi mamá_ woulda whooped my ass,” he mentions while thumbing across his neck.

“Nevada,” Caractacus says disapprovingly.

He grits his teeth and shrugs, “ _My butt_.” He examines the letters again and then them, “Yet I can respect the fact you came here to apologise in person.”

Caractacus squeezes their shoulders while they listen to him intently.

“And no, I’m not gonna break up with your dad,” he informs them. “Unless that was the point?”

Jemima answers, “No, Mr Nevada. Promise!”

“Good,” Nevada says. “I’m still angry with you two about today.”

“We know,” they look down.

“And Jeremy?”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t know you had a devilish side. I’m kinda impressed.”

“You are?” Jeremy sounded hopeful but cautious.

“Yeah. Wished it happened to someone else.” Nevada’s phone rings. “One second.” He picks up his cell and strides to his kitchen. He returns. “Thank your lucky fu... n stars. They saved the jacket. My other clothes, not so much.”

They say nothing. Colour rose to their cheeks and they look away, ashamed. Jemima bites her lip and suggests, “We can buy you new clothes!”

Nevada shakes his head, “You couldn’t afford my clothes.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“Maybe Crackpott can think of something.”

Caractacus thinks for a moment, “Hmm... What if you two clean his apartment for two weeks? I’ll supervise, of course. Make sure they don’t cause anymore mischief.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Nevada says.  
“Starting tomorrow,” Caractacus informs, and the children accept.

“Ok,” Nevada opens the door and the Potts family exits. Before Nevada closes the door, Caractacus kisses his cheek and whispers, “Thank you.”

Nevada waves him off, “Sure. Whatever.”

Caractacus smirks. When the door closes, he returns his attention to Jeremy and Jemima, “Come along, children. We need to buy some cleaning supplies.”

Jemima asks, “Don’t you have that cleaning machine?”

“You’re so clever. I do, however, you and your brother will clean _manually_. Brooms, pans, sponges, soap. The whole works.”

“Awww,” she pouts.

“Chin up, Sweetpea,” Caractacus smiles as they head to the shops. “At least you don’t have to paint anything.”

“ _Daaaaad!_ ” Jeremy and Jemima cover their faces from embarrassment as he chuckles. They eventually laugh too. Thinking back to what Nevada told them, he was right—they were glad they had a nice dad. And even though they were in trouble, they would continue to protect him.


End file.
